Madison Media Digest: Education, Government, Community

Here’s what we were reading while enjoying the first Farmers’ Market of the year.

Education

The Madison School Board may ask to teachers to start paying health care premiums to deal with a difficult budget. The State Journal endorsed the idea. A conference brought together students and panelists to discuss ways to lessen racial disparities in Madison schools. Madison-area schools are working on personalized pathways to graduation for high school students using a $400,000 grant. An alternative education program will remain at Lapham Elementary; the school district had discussed moving the program after a student brought a gun to school last year. Madison schools are teaching mindfulness. Proponents of Madison Area Technical College planned expansion in South Madison made their case at a public forum. The campus could be a boon to the area in so many ways, writes Chris Rickert.

Government

The city may spend $250,000 studying changes to its governing structure. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi suspended official travel to North Carolina and Mississippi following passage of laws in those states that allowed discrimination against LGBT individuals. Backers of the long-planned Homeless Day Shelter have reworked the budget projections, but it remains unclear where some of the money will come from. Madison police unveiled plans for a new Midtown District station, but questions remain about its financial viability. Firefighters in Madison will be issued bulletproof vests for use on calls where there might be a risk of gunfire. Madison Metro’s reserve fund has topped $7M at the same time as a rate hike is planned. Alliant Energy Center is re-examining its facilities after a horse died during at an event two months ago.  A coyote hunter faces criminal charges after mistakenly shooting and killing two pet dogs. The man’s attorney believes that these charges are the result of political pressure stemming from an online petition. 

Community

The University of Wisconsin Police Department has been criticized for what some on campus believe to be unnecessarily rough and disruptive tactics during the arrest of an alleged graffitist. An $18M West Madison development will serve seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Young people on the North Side used their day off from school to clean up their neighborhood. Goodman Community Center hosted its first taco night, and more food events are coming. The Capital Times urged people to support Habitat for Humanity’s work in Dane County. The third annual Emerge Gala will recognize Madison’s young professionals and their contributions to the community. A basketball game between the Madison Police and Madison-area middle school teams raised funds for the Madison Schools’ Black Student Union college tour. The Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Program was awarded a $20,000 grant. A Madison tech startup aims to become this year’s No. 1 embedded analytics company.